Eurovision: Thousands protest against Israel’s entry in Malmo

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in the Swedish city of Malmö to protest Israel’s participation in the Eurovision song contest.

This comes as the city prepares to host the second semi-final of the competition on Thursday evening, in which Israeli Eden Golan will perform.

A smaller demonstration of support for Israel also took place.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among those participating in the pro-Palestinian protest, which Swedish police said had up to 12,000 participants.

She told the BBC there was a “moral obligation to act” and denounce the Israeli military operation in Gaza.

“If we are tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of Malmö during Eurovision, saying that we will not allow this to continue, then that is a very strong signal – and it makes a difference,” he said. said Ms Thunberg.

Another protester, Matilda Varatta, told the Reuters news agency that she would like to see Israel disqualified like Russia was in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s not true that Eurovision is not political, it has always been political and it always will be,” she said.

Earlier, Ms Golan said she was “proud to represent my country” and “nothing would deter her”.

“I focus on music, on good energy, and there are so many people who support me, and I feel like I have such an honor to represent my country, especially in these times.”

In a video message posted on social media late Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Ms. Golan good luck and said she had “already won” after “successfully confronting” what he described as a “horrible wave of anti-Semitism” in Sweden.

At the pro-Israel demonstration, people could be heard singing Hurricane in support of Ms. Golan amid a heavy police presence.

“I’m not really interested in Eurovision,” protester Yael Sages Wahlström told Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

“But since there has been such a storm of hatred against Israel, I wanted to provide my support.”

The Israel Broadcasting Corporation, which organizes the country’s competition, said it had asked the European Broadcasting Union to prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s booing incident.

Swedish authorities say they have increased security and are preparing for possible unrest.

Israel is currently engaged in a military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.